In 1929 the author of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie, gifted the rights of his play and novel to Great Ormond Street Hospital, (GOSH). When J.M. Barrie died in 1937 GOSH did indeed receive full copyright, and two years later signed an exclusive agreement for the animation rights with the Walt Disney Company._

Unfortunately, this happened before the realisation/concept of merchandise, and spin-offs, the agreement did not include royalties from those revenue streams.

From GOSH.org:'Does the hospital or charity receive income from sales of Disney's Peter Pan DVDs and merchandise such as toys, games, etc?No, the original contract did not include these since they did not exist in 1939 so the hospital or charity did not (and does not) receive any income from DVDs or toys or any other merchandise.'

It is not known how much GOSH received financially from royalties of the Peter Pan books and films over the years. It can be presumed however, that since the copyright has ended, or will end soon, in most territories the amount GOSH currently receives and will receive in the future will be sadly miniscule.

When giving the copyright to GOSH it had been Barrie's wish for them, the first dedicated children's hospital in the United Kingdom, to profit from it. If it had been known in 1939 of the lucrative nature of merchandise when GOSH signed the agreement with the Walt Disney Co. I feel sure that it would have been part of the agreement.

Walt Disney is a multi-billion dollar corporation, (source: Forbes) that is renowned for its ethics, morals and family-friendly entertainment. I implore them, in the spirit that JM Barrie handed over the rights of his children's masterpiece, to donate a small portion of the proceeds of each sale of a Peter Pan product, whether it's a film, toy or from a spin-off like Tinker Bell, to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. Think of the wonderful publicity this good act would generate, Disney, and it might even be a tax write-off!Let's make this happen and support a worthwhile cause.Elias Zapple

Great Ormond Street Hospital websiteClick here to donate to Great Ormond Street Hospital